Are your services free?

Yes. CLO is a registered charity formed to provide free legal services to the community. Donations are very welcome. Our bank account number is:
Dunedin Community Law Centre  02 0929 0049727 000.

Does Community Law Otago provide Legal Aid?

No. People often refer to our service as “legal aid”, but we do not provide legal aid services.

Legal aid is government funding to pay for lawyers for people going to court who cannot afford a lawyer. It is available for people facing criminal charges, and those with a civil legal problem or family dispute that may go to court, as well as for the Waitangi Tribunal. Community Law Otago on the other hand, is a community law centre, an independent non-profit organisation. Our funding is managed by the Ministry of Justice but comes from separate sources.  CLO and the other 23 community law centres around the country not connected in any way to the public services. Importantly, our services are free to our clients, whereas people generally have to repay some or all of their legal aid back to the government.
If you need a lawyer, and cannot afford one, you can come to us for initial free legal help first. We can then refer you to the right lawyer.

Can anyone get legal help at the community law centre?

In general yes, but there are some exceptions:

We do not provide legal advice on property or commercial issues.

We do not usually give legal advice to landlords or employers.

We also aim to see people who have the least financial resources.

This means we will ask you some questions about your financial means.

We prioritise clients who really cannot afford to see a lawyer privately.